How does Under Floor Heating (UFH) work?
You can find out more about under floor heating here, plus here’s a useful summary:
- Plastic pipework, specifically designed for under floor heating, is laid in a sand and concrete screed (mainly for new builds or extensions) or over the top of an existing concrete/wood floor (this is called “retrofitting”)
- Warm water from the boiler is pumped through the pipes allowing heat from the water to transfer into the screed or, if retrofitted, emit heat evenly across the floor in your room.
Simply explained your floor becomes a giant storage of low temperature heat. Using the whole floor to heat the room allows the flow temperature of the boiler to run lower than conventional radiators and this increases efficiency.
To stop the heat being absorbed by the floor, a high quality insulation is used to keep the heat from disappearing, instead bouncing it back up into the room.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of having under floor heating in your home include:
- Low flow temperature, which keeps the boiler running more efficiently
- No radiators on show, which some people prefer
- Suited to systems with weather compensation, working together to achieve more efficiency
- Works well with other low flow temperature products like Ground source heat pumps and Air source heat pumps
- Provide an even distribution of heat, making you feel warm
- Very versatile, it can be fitted in both new builds and existing properties
The real key to saving money with an Under Floor Heating (UFH) system is in the design, layout, quality of controls and the attention to detail when installing it. Many claim to be under floor heating specialists, but at Clarity we believe you need to be a heating specialist – someone who understands the whole system and will achieve the best results for you and your home.